Jasmine (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Bharati Mukherjee
- First Published: 1989
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: 1965-1989
- Setting: Hasnapur, India; New York City; and Baden, Iowa
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman
- Subjects: Freedom, 1960’s, 1970’s, Self-discovery, Caribbean, Midwest, American Dream, 1980’s, Asia or Asians, Immigration or emigration, Adultery, India or East Indian people, Servants, Ambition, Aliens, illegal, Refugees, Asian Americans, Parties
- Locales: New York, NY, Florida, Baden, IA, Hasnapur, India
Characters Discussed
Jasmine Vijh, later called Jane Ripplemeyer, the narrator. She was born in Hasnapur, India, and given the name Jyoti. She is the fifth daughter of her parents and the seventh of nine children; as such, she is somewhat unwanted. An astrologer predicts that she is doomed to widowhood and exile. Jasmine is determined to chart the course of her own life. She marries Prakash Vijh at the age of fourteen, and he renames her Jasmine as a means of breaking her from her past. After he is murdered by a Muslim fanatic, Jasmine fulfills Prakash’s wish and goes to the...
[The entire page is 1428 words long]
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